Odobant dispenser



y 3, 1951 c. B. LlEN ODORANT DISPENSER Filed April 22, 1947 Patented July 3, 1951 ODORAN T DISPENSER Carl B. Lien, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Lien Chemical Company, a corporation of Illinois Application April 22, 1947, Serial No. 743,124

'7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a new and improved odorant dispenser and has for one of its principal objects the provision of means for dispensing a relatively strong pleasing odor.

An important object of this invention is to provide an odorant dispenser for use in public washrooms or the like wherein it is desired to render the circulating air free from objectionable odors.

Another important object of this invention is to employ a wick of coiled asbestos for elevating a liquid odorant into the path of an air stream for causing circulation of absorbing and/or overcoming undesirable smells or odors.

A further object of this invention is to provide convenient means for refilling liquid odorant dispensers.

A still further object is to provide a tamperproof odorant dispenser adapted to be readily fastened to a wall.

Other and further important objects of this invention will become apparent from the disclosures in the following specification and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the odorant dispenser of this invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the device as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

As shown in the drawings:

The reference numeral N) indicates generally a vertically extending tubular housing open at its upper and lower eds. The housing In consists of a vertical back wall II, a front wall l2, and sides l3 and M. The rear wall I I is made of a separate strip of material, preferably sheet metal, and the front and sides are formed of a continuous U-shaped member, the rear ends of the sides l3 and I4 terminating in bent over portions IB and I6 covering the back wall ll. The tubular housing In is made substantially rigid by spot welding or otherwise fastening the bent over portions l5 and E6 to the rear wall I I.

As best shown in Figure 3, the rear wall. has spaced openings at l! and I8 for fastening to the wall of a public washroom or other room where itis desired to overcome objectionable odors, by means of wood screws or the like. The lower end of the back wall H is bent inwardly and downwardly as shown by the inclined lower lip I9 shown in Figures 1 and 3.

A supporting structure 20 including a ledge. 2|

and a downwardly bent flange 22 at its rear is adapted to carry a tray or cup 23 which holds a liquid odorant 24. The back flange 22 has an opening 25- in alignment with the opening 18 in the back wall ll, whereupon a screw passing through the openings l3 and 25 will hold the supporting structure 29 rigidly to the bask wall I I of the dispensing housing Ill. The tray or cup 23 is preferably fixedly fastened by means of spot welding or the like to the ledge 2| so that at all times it will be centered with respect to the tubular housing I0.

As best shown in Figure 4, the ledge 2| tapers from a wide portion at the rear of the housing H] to a considerably narrower portion at the front of the longitudinally extending housing. Passage of air upwardly through the openings 25 and 21 between the ledge 2land the walls It and M is readily permitted, but the openings are sufiiciently small to prevent undesirable tampering with the liquid odorant carrying cup. The liquid-tight tray or cup 23, as shown in Figure 4, is substantially rectangular with rounded corners and a slightly outwardly rolled lip 28.

A coil ofporous, flexible, fibrous material such as asbestos is shown at 29 positioned lengthwise in the tubular housing H3. The coil of asbestos isshown clipped together attfl so that it remains substantially tubular. The fibrous asbestos material performs the function of a wick, and as shown in Figure 3 the tubular wick 29 is resting in the bottom of the liquid tray 23 and extending upwardly throughout substantially the length of the housing In and considerably above the top or rolled lip 28 of the liquid holding cup 23. The asbestos absorbs the pleasant odor liquid so that the entire length of the tubular coil of material 29 carries the strong odor whereupon passage of air upwardly through the bottom of the housing ill will take on the odors of the liquid 24 from the wick 29 and thereupon pass out the top of the dispenser housing.

In order that the dispenser shall be entirely tamper-proof and simultaneously permit ready replacement of the liquid odorant 24, a top structure 3! is provided which includes an asbestos centering cover 32, the central portion of which is depressed downwardly as shown at 33 and having an opening 34 in the center thereof. The depressed portion 33 forms a guide or centering device for the tubular asbestos wick and simultaneously acts as a funnel through which liquid odorant may be readily and easily poured. The top structure also includes an angle member 35 having a horizontal lip 36 to which the cover 'mantling the dispenser.

32 is attached by spot welding or the like and a vertical wall or flange 31 having an opening 38 therein in alignment with the opening I! in the back wall I l of the dispenser. Similarly to the fastening of the supporting structure 20 to the back wall the top structure 3| is attached to the rear wall H by meansof passing an attaching wall screw through the aligned openings l1 and 38.

The cover 32, as shown in Figure 2, is sufficiently large to cover the asbestos coil 29 but is considerably less in size than the cross section of the tubular housing, thus leaving openings 39, 40 and 4| around the sides and at the front of the dispenser so that air passing upwardly through the dispenser may readily pass out through these openings carrying with it the vapors of the liquid odorant.

In operation the dispenser described herein is attached to a wall in a vertical position by means of screws or the like passing through the aligned openings I! and 38 and I8 and 25. Liquid odorant is poured through the cover 32 having the funnel-shaped central portion 33, and inasmuch as the funnel is in direct alignment with the liquid holding tray 23 the liquid passes without interference to the tray. Should the liquid tend to splash, the tubular coil of asbestos will merely absorb this splashed liquid. Further, if the liquid runs over the funnel or depressed portion 33 of the cover and goes down the back wall II, it will be directed inwardly away from the building wall by the lip I9 which acts as a drip board for any overflow of liquid odorant. This insures that the building wall will not be stained by the liquid odorant used in these dispensers.

Air in a room is continually circulating by reason of variance in temperatures from one part to another and currents of warm air pass upwardly through the openings in the bottom of the dispenser over the odorant holding asbestos wick and thence out the top of the dispenser whereupon the room becomes laden with the pleasant odor of the liquid 24 which superimposes or otherwise overcomes any objectionable or unpleasant odors which may develop in a washroom or public gathering place.

The use of a fibrous Wick for dispensing the odorant departs from previous odorant dispensers which generally were supplied with a solid block odorant. The block soon evaporated, at which time a new block of relatively expensive material had to be inserted in the dispenser after considerable labor had been. performed in, dis- The present device eliminates the replacement of the wick material and makes the job of replenishing the effectiveness of the dispenser relatively easy. This is accomplished merely by pouring liquid odorant through the aligned funnel and tubular wick to the liquid reservoir cup 23.

Numerous details of construction may be varied throughout a wide range without departing from the principles disclosed herein, and I therefore do not propose limiting the patent granted otherwise than as necessitated by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

- 1. An odorant dispenser comprising a generally vertically extending housing open at its upper and lower ends, a liquid odorant tray of less cross sectional area than the housing mounted in the lower end of said housing, a liquid odorant absorbing wick having an opening extending longitudinally therethrough removably positioned in said tray and extending upwardly from said tray within said housing, and. a top for said housing of less cross sectional area than the housing, said top having means depending therefrom for engagement with the longitudinal opening through said wick to maintain said wick centered in said housing.

2. An odorant dispenser comprising a generally vertically extending housing open at its upper and lower ends, a liquid odorant tray of less cross sectional area than the housing mounted in the lower end of said housing, a liquid odorant absorbing wick having an opening extending longitudinally therethrough removably positioned in said tray and extending upwardly from said tray within said housing, and a top for said housing of less cross sectional area than the housing, said top having a depressed portion substantially centrally thereof and having an opening through the bottom of said depression, said depressed portion of the cover depending downwardly and telescoping the opening in said wick, whereby the wick is held in a relatively fixed upright position and the tray may be conveniently filled and refilled with liquid odorant by pouring through the depressed portion down through the longitudinal opening in the wick and into said tray.

3. An odorant dispenser comprising a generally vertically extending housing open at its upper and lower ends, a liquid odorant tray of less cross sectional area than the housing mounted in the lower end of said housing, a liquid odorant absorbing wick having an opening extending longitudinally therethrough removably positioned in said tray and extending upwardly from said tray within said housing, and a top for said housing of less cross sectional area than the housing, said top having a depressed portion substantially centrally thereof and having an apening through the bottom of said depression, said depressed portion of the cover depending downwardly and telescoping the opening in said wick, whereby the wick is held in a relatively fixed upright position and the tray may be conveniently filled and refilled with liquid odorant by pouring through the depressed portion down through the longitudinal opening in the wick and into said tray, said housing having an inwardly bent lip at the bottom thereof, said lip being wider than the liquid odorant tray and inclined forwardly and downwardly from the rear wall of the housing, whereby liquid odorant running over the depressed portion in the cover and down the housing will be directed to' the bent lip which acts as a drip edge removed from the housing.

4. An odorant wall dispenser comprising a vertically extending tubular housing including a back having holes therein for effecting attachment to a Wall, a liquid tight tray of less cross sectional area than said tubular housing and of less height than said housing in the bottom of said housing, a coil of fibrous absorbent material adapted to be placed in said tray in a vertical position and extending upwardly in saidhousing, and a top for said housing of less cross sectional area than said tubular housing fixed in an upper portion of said housing over said coil of fibrous absorbent material, said topformed with a funnel shaped central portion and an,

opening in the center and bottom thereof,

whereby said funnel projects downwardly into said coilof fibrous absorbent material and a liquid odorant may be poured through saidfunnel down through the coil of absorbent material and into said tray.

5. An odorant wall dispenser comprising a vertically extending tubular housing including a back having holes therein for effecting attachment to a wall, a liquid tight tray of less cross sectional area than said tubular housing and of less height than said housing in the bottom of said housing, a coil of fibrous absorbent material placed in said tray in a vertical position and extending upwardly in said housing, and a top for said housing of less cross sectional area than said tubular housing fixed in an upper portion of said housing over said coil of fibrous absorbent material, said top formed with a funnel shaped cen-- tral portion and an opening in the center and bottom thereof, whereby said funnel projects downwardly into said coil of fibrous absorbent material and a liquid odorant may be poured through said funnel down through the coil of absorbent material and into said tray, theback of said housing having a lip at the bottom thereof inclined away from the wall to which the dispenser is attached said lip being wider than the top of said housing and having upwardly turned sides forming a trough inclined forwardly and downwardly from the back wall of the housing, whereby any liquid odorant spilled or otherwise running down the back of the housing runs out and drips from the inclined lip.

6. An odorant wall dispenser comprising a vertically extending tubular housing including a back having holes therein for effecting attachment to a wall, a liquid tight tray of less cross sectional area than said tubular housing and of less height than said housing and having a downwardly extending flange with holes therein for fixing the tray in the bottom of said housing through aligned holes in the back thereof, a coil of asbestos adapted to be placed in said tray in a vertical position and extending upwardly in said housing, and a top for said housing of less cross sectional area than said tubular housing having an upwardly extending flange with holes therein for fixing the top in an upper portion of said housing over said coil of asbestos through aligned holes in said housing back, said top formed with a funnel shaped central portion and an opening in the center and bottom thereof, whereby said funnel projects downwardly into said coil of asbestos and a liquid odorant may be poured through said funnel down through the coil of asbestos and into said tray.

7. An odorant wall dispenser comprising a vertically extending tubular housing including a back having holes therein for effecting attachment to a wall, a liquid tight tray of less cross sectional area than said tubular housing and of less height than said housing and having a downwardly extending flange with holes therein for fixing the tray in the bottom of said housing through aligned holes in the back thereof, a coil of asbestos placed in said tray in a vertical position and extendin upwardly in'said housing, and a top for said housing of less cross sectional area than said tubular housing having an upwardly extending flange with holes therein for fixing the top in an upper portion of said housing over said coil of asbestos through aligned holes in said housing back, said top formed with a funnel shaped central portion and an opening in the center and bottom thereof, whereby said funnel projects downwardly into said coil of asbestos and a liquid odorant may be poured through said funnel down through the coil of asbestos and into said tray, the back of said housing having a lip at the bottom thereof inclined away from the wall to which the dispenser is attached said lip being substantially the width of the housing and inclined forwardly and downwardly away from the back wall of the housing, whereby any liquid odorant spilled or otherwise running down the back of the housing runs out and drips from the inclined lip.

' CARL B. LIEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 910,270 Carnes Jan. 19, 1909 926,961 Raforth July 6, 1909 974,343 Bennett Nov. 1, 1910 1,996,952 Cohendy Apr. 9, 1935 2,243,151 Fuld et a1. May 27, 1941 

